The heavy snow finally stopped on the afternoon of the third day. Xu Ning and Xu An took shovels and cleared the snow in front of the door. Afterward, they went to the cellar to get some cabbage and radishes, planning to have lamb hotpot on the stove for dinner.

The lamb was something Xu Ning had taken from her hidden space during her last trip to town. It had been buried in the snow and hadn’t been eaten yet.

She put wild boar bones into a clay pot and simmered them on the stove to make a rich broth.

Xu An soaked some black fungus and mushrooms, sliced the potatoes and radishes, and tore the cabbage by hand. He also thinly sliced the lamb and wild boar meat.

Xu Mo stood next to the stove, slurping as he eyed the clay pot.

Xu An placed the vegetables on the table and teased, “Xiao Mo, be careful. Don’t let your drool fall into the pot.”

With a serious expression, Xu Mo retorted, “Second Brother, whose drool is falling into the pot? I’m just checking if the bones are cooked.” As soon as he finished speaking, he couldn’t resist slurping again.

Xu An and Xu Ning burst into laughter at his greedy expression.

Xu Mo glanced at the two of them, huffed, and turned his attention back to the pot.

The three siblings sat around the stove, dipping vegetables into the hotpot. Xu Ning picked up a slice of lamb and placed it in Xu Mo’s bowl, and Xu An added some vegetables for him as well.

Xu Mo waved his hand and said, “Sister, Second Brother, you both eat too. No need to take care of me—I’m a grown-up now and can serve myself.”

After speaking, he quickly grabbed another piece of meat from the pot and said, “This is just too delicious. If I could eat like this every day, I wouldn’t even want to be a god.”

Xu An chuckled and said, ” Look at you! Becoming a god isn’t something you can just decide.”

Xu Mo glanced sideways at his brother and replied, “What’s so great about being a god? Gods don’t even eat meals, so what’s the point of living?”

“So, you’re saying the whole point of living is just to eat?”

Xu Mo looked at him in surprise and said, “Isn’t it? Even the grandmas in the village say we spend the whole year working just for this mouth of ours.”

Xu An found himself at a loss for words, realizing that, strangely enough, Xu Mo had a point.

Xu Ning glanced at Xu An, who had just been left speechless, and at Xu Mo, who was happily eating and chatting. She felt that life was really good at the moment.

That winter was particularly cold. After the heavy snowfall, the three siblings rarely left the house. They spent their days listening to the radio and reading books. Just like that, the year 1972 came to an end.

Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei came by to ask Xu Ning if she wanted to go into town with them to buy New Year’s supplies. Xu Ning had already planned to make a trip to the city, to deliver some items to Grandma Wang, pick up a few household necessities, and discreetly retrieve a few things from her hidden space for the New Year celebrations.

The roads were too slippery now, and Xu Ning didn’t dare ride her bicycle for fear of falling. She, Wei Lanlan, and Yang Xiaomei decided to take Old Chen’s ox cart into town instead.

When the three of them reached the entrance of the village, they saw small groups of villagers walking towards the city. On the ox cart, a few female educated youths from the commune were already seated—Gu Wenjing, Chunhua, Wang Juanjuan, and Liu Fang.

The three women climbed onto the ox cart and greeted their acquaintances. But it was so cold that no one talked much. Everyone was bundled up tightly, leaving only their eyes exposed.

Upon arriving in the city, Xu Ning told the others she was going to visit some relatives, and they parted ways. She found a quiet spot and took some grains and meat from her hidden space to deliver to Grandma Wang.

Xu Ning went to the post office to withdraw the money Xu Yang had sent. Ever since Lu Xiaotang mailed the letter and the money order, she hadn’t heard any more news from him. He was likely away on a mission.

It was close to the New Year, so the supply and marketing cooperative was packed with people. Seeing a long line at Su Hongying’s counter, Xu Ning didn’t go over to greet her. Instead, she bought some items for the New Year and used up her soon-to-expire ration tickets.

After leaving the cooperative, she found a secluded spot, took a few more items from her hidden space, and put them into her basket. She didn’t dare take too much, planning to retrieve more near the entrance to the village. With so many people on the ox cart, there was always the risk that some nosy person might try to peek into her basket when she wasn’t paying attention.

Xu Ning had gone to several places on foot today, so it had taken her longer than expected. On her way back, she hurried, worried that she might miss the ox cart.

By the time she reached Old Chen’s ox cart, several village women, including aunts and young wives, were already seated. They had likely walked to town earlier in the morning.

Once Xu Ning got on, the ox cart was full, and Old Chen was ready to head back. Those who couldn’t get a seat would have to walk home.

She glanced back toward the city but didn’t see Wei Lanlan or Yang Xiaomei. In weather like this, walking home would be miserable. If they returned soon, they might be able to squeeze onto the cart.

On New Year’s Eve, right after Xu Ning and Xu An finished lunch, they began preparing the New Year’s dinner. Xu Ning planned to make several dishes and have Xu An discreetly deliver them to the people staying in the cattle shed.

A few days earlier, their father had already sent Xu Mo to tell them not to come to the shed for dinner on New Year’s Eve, as some of the educated youths often wandered around there after their meals.

By around four in the afternoon, it was already dark. Xu An went outside to check, and seeing that the road was empty, he guessed the educated youths were likely preparing their own New Year’s dinners. Xu Ning packed the food into the basket and had him deliver it to the shed.

After the New Year, Xu Ning went up the mountain again and took out two small wild boars from her hidden space. This time, she was more clever. After descending the mountain, she went straight to the cattle shed. Before anyone could react, she dropped off the two wild boars and quickly ran off.

That night, when her dad and Uncle Lu delivered the cleaned wild boars back to the house, they scolded her for her recklessness.

As winter neared its end and the weather began to warm up, Xu Ning cured part of the meat, made a jar of meat sauce, and dried some of the meat into jerky. She planned to use this during spring planting. The jerky would be given to the men in the cattle shed so they could keep it in their pockets and snack on it while working.

When the snow had almost completely melted, Chen Hongjun brought a few men along with a cart full of bricks to help Xu Ning build a wall around her home.

At the entrance, Wang Juanjuan saw a group of men hauling bricks and thought they were coming to build her house. A few days earlier, when the snow melted, Gu Wenping had taken her to the village to speak with Chen Hongjun, and he had agreed to help.

To her surprise, the men didn’t stop at the educated youth compound but continued directly to Xu Ning’s place. Confused, she quickly asked, “Aren’t they here to build my house?”

Chen Hongjun chuckled and replied, “We’re here to build a courtyard wall for Xu Zhiqing. Her brother asked me about it last year. Don’t worry, it’ll only take two or three days to finish her wall. After that, we’ll get started on yours.”

Wang Juanjuan, a bit displeased, said, “Uncle, can’t you build mine first? I’m really eager to move out. Xu Ning already has a house, doesn’t she?”

Chen Hongjun’s smile faded slightly as he responded, “Wang Zhiqing, we follow the principle of first come, first served. If you’re in such a hurry, perhaps you should find someone else?”

Wang Juanjuan quickly smiled and said, “Uncle, I’ve already made arrangements with you. How could I find someone else? I’ll wait another couple of days.”

After that, she returned to the educated youth compound. As soon as she stepped inside, her smile vanished, and her face turned sour.

Several of the female educated youths were sitting on the kang, chatting. When Wang Juanjuan came in with a sour expression, Liu Fang asked, “What’s wrong, Juanjuan?”

Wang Juanjuan quickly adjusted her expression and smiled. “I just saw the villagers who came to build houses. I thought they were coming to help build mine, but it turns out they’re going to build a courtyard wall for Xu Ning.”

Chunhua, surprised, asked, “Doesn’t she already have a wall? Why would they be building another one?”

Wang Juanjuan sat down on the kang and replied, “I don’t know either. That’s just what the builders said.”

Liu Fang got off the kang and suggested, “Why don’t we go take a look?”

Wang Juanjuan, Chunhua, and Jiaohua all followed along, while Lin Qiuhua stayed on the bed, continuing her needlework.

The group walked to the back, where they saw several men already leveling the ground on Xu Ning’s private plot. Even Chen Xiangdong and a few male educated youths had heard the commotion and came over to see what was going on.

Xu An was at school, and Xu Ning was inside boiling water, unaware of the group gathering outside.

Seeing only the village men working and the Xu siblings nowhere in sight, Liu Fang snorted and said, “It looks like those two are really trying to cut ties with our commune!”

Wei Lanlan glanced at her, then shouted loudly towards Xu Ning’s house, “Xu Ning, someone says you’ve split off from the youth commune!”